Action Movie FX Turns iPhone Movies into Blockbusters

Unless you hate fun (or just don’t have an iOS device), you’re going to love Action Movie FX. As you will have guessed from the name, it’s an app which lets you add visual effects to your home movies.

The free app comes with two “FX”: Missile Attack and Car Smash. Like the names, these effects aren’t subtle, but they are certainly professional. Pick an effect, point your iPhone’s camera at the appropriate scene and record. There’s an on-screen guide to show you where the effect will hit.

Then, you let the app do its stuff. After a few seconds of processing, it spits out a video for your action-movie viewing pleasure. The FX are overlaid on your scene, and the results are startlingly good. Even the Lady was impressed, and you know how she feels about tech (and action movies).

Action Movie FX comes from J.J. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot Interactive, and it shows. Even the menu screens are resplendent with Star Trek-style lens flare glinting across the screen.

The FX are “inspired” by big-budget movies. What this means is that you get movie ads all over the place. The starter pack is hawking Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. Further effects can be bought via in-app purchase, at $1 for two. I bought Chopper Down and Tornado Action, which does what you think it does.

Action Movie FX is, as I said, free. It works on any iOS device, although it’ll be pixel-doubled on the iPad. I shall leave you with a customer review from the app’s iTunes page, from Jimmo Olson: “I ordered a missile strike on my office calendar. Looks like I’m leaving early today.”